Intern
Ashma Adhikari completed her Bachelor’s degree in Media Studies from the Kathmandu University, with a keen interest in photography and anthropology. She has worked as a freelance photographer for the in the past and also has gained experience in creation of short documentaries. As an in intern with NHDP, she was working as a photographer and providing visual metadata inputs.
Developer
After studying Computer Science and Engineering from VTU, Belgaum, India, Bishwo Bijaya Shah joined UNESCO, Kathmandu as an IT Consultant for the development and implementation of Cultural Heritage Information & Management System for the Government of Nepal called CHIMS using an open source framework called Arches.
His expertise is built on work for UNESCO & Department of Archaeology, Nepal and within the NHDP he is working as a full stack developer.
HEIDELBERG TEAM
Bishal Diganta holds a Master’s degree in Health and Society in South Asia from Heidelberg University (2021) and another one in Sociology from Jamia Millia Islamia, New Delhi (2017). He has previously worked in the GeKo Project (2020) funded by the BMBF (Federal Ministry of Education and Research, Germany, as a data analyst (2020) for Heidelberg Institute of Global Health, and in SUTRA (Himachal Pradesh), India. He is currently working as Research Data Manager in the project ‘Heritage as Placemaking (HAP)’, funded by the Riksbankens Jubilieumsfond, Sweden. Within NHDP, Bishal is responsible for database management and synchronization between DANAM and HeidICON.
Heidelberg team
Charlotte von Waitz studied Anthropology (B.A.) at Heidelberg University, with a keen interest in Nepali language and culture as well as urban anthropology and art history. Within the NHDP she participated in data gathering about phalcās (public rest houses) and ethnographic research about their usage by the local communities.
Heidelberg team
David C. Andolfatto studied Asian archaeology at Marc Bloch University, Strasbourg (BA) and at Paris Sorbonne University (MA and PhD). His research focuses on the archaeology, history and art history of Nepal, especially in the Kathmandu Valley and in West Nepal.
From 2015 to 2018, Andolfatto worked as a consultant for the UNESCO Kathmandu Office. During this period, he conducted archaeological excavations on heritage sites and coordinated different preservation projects.
His PhD thesis on the archaeology of West Nepal led him to document historical sites and artefacts in this largely overlooked part of the country. As a part of NHDP, Andolfatto provides data on heritage sites of the area comprised between Jumla and the Mahakali river (Nepal-India border).
Heidelberg Team
Dikshya Karki is a researcher on Nepali arts, films and cities. She has a PhD from the Heidelberg University. She holds an MA degree in Arts & Aesthetics from Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi.
She worked as a researcher for the project “Rethinking Art, Patis in Patan” and its exhibition in Photo Kathmandu 2015 as well as for a retrospective exhibition of Nepali artist Birendra Pratap Singh.
For NHDP, she contributes to the arrangement of visual and textual materials.
Intern
Hrijata Dahal studied Bachelors in Media Studies at Kathmandu University School of Arts (KUSOA), Lalitpur. She has worked behind the camera for TV talk shows, produced video essays and also conceptualized and executed a social ad campaign. In the past, she has also contributed photographs to The Rising Nepal and reported a news article for Nepali Times weekly. She worked as a photography intern in NHDP.
Directorate and coordination
Ina Buchholz graduated from Heidelberg University in 2009 with an M.A. in Islamic Studies. After working in the Research Collaboratory “Ritual Dynamics”, she moved to the Cluster of Excellence “Asia and Europe” where she coordinated the Chairs “Visual Media Anthropology” and “Buddhist Studies” for 10 years. Within NDHP, she overviewed and monitored all administrative tasks, the monthly reports, and the financial matters.
Heidelberg Team
Jennifer Landes studied business informatics with focus on marketing management and IT-security at the Mannheim University. In her master thesis, she assessed several IT security frameworks and implemented an individual strategy for a certification in a software firm. Since 2013, she works at the South Asia Institute as IT delegate in the areas of IT- website programming and press and public relations. She also worked on several beneficial and non- commercial website projects. As a part of NHDP, she was responsible for database management and synchronization between DANAM and HeidICON.
Heidelberg team
Julia Meckl is MA student of Development, Environment, Societies, and History in South Asia at Heidelberg University with interest in space and social practice, heritage, and Nepali language. She holds a BA in South Asian Studies and Anthropology. Within NHDP, she assisted with the research on phalcās (public rest houses).
HEIDELBERG TEAM
Lara holds an MA degree in Media, Communication and Literature from the Department of Modern South Asian Languages, Heidelberg University. In 2016 she completed a Post Graduate Diploma in Hindi Literature from Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi. For the NHDP she works as a research assistant organizing data on inscriptions, profiling and translating them from modern Nepali.
Heidelberg Team
Lily Djami studied applied computer science in Heidelberg University (2021). She has previously worked with the Waterproofing Data project at the Institute of Geography, Heidelberg. Since 2018 she works as a student assistant for the IT team at the South Asia Institute. She is currently pursuing a Master’s degree in computer science at the Goethe University Frankfurt. For NHDP, Lily is responsible for database management and synchronization between DANAM and HeidICON.
Heidelberg team
Lizeth Ortiz studied Transcultural Studies (M.A.) at Heidelberg University. She holds a B.A in Anthropology (2015) and a Specialization Degree in Do-No-Harm approaches and Peace building (2017) from National University of Colombia. She worked as a student assistant for the Chair of Visual and Media Anthropology at the Heidelberg Centre for Transcultural Studies (HCTS). Within NHDP, she contributed to the revision and management of literature and visual resources of the project.
Heidelberg team
Matthias Arnold graduated from Heidelberg University in 2003 with an M.A. in East Asian Art History, Classical Chinese and European Art History. As a member of the Heidelberg Research Architecture he coordinated the development of various digitization and database projects. Within NHDP, he was responsible for managing visual resources and metadata quality, as well as overseeing data sustainability. Along with Dr. Ashish Karmacharya, he conceptualized the development of the Arches platform.
Heidelberg Team
Manvi Gautam has a Master's degree in Transcultural Studies from Heidelberg University. She has formerly worked as a journalist and in television production in India, and has a Bachelor's degree in English Literature from Lady Shri Ram College, University of Delhi. She contributed to the revision and management of visual resources as part of NHDP.
Heidelberg Team
Mhairi Montgomery holds an M.A. in Transcultural Studies from Heidelberg University and an M.St. in Women's Studies at the University of Oxford. She previously worked as a Student Assistant at the Chair for Visual and Media Anthropology at the Heidelberg Centre for Transcultural Studies. As a part of NHDP, she was responsible for proofreading the English language texts uploaded to DANAM.
NEPAL TEAM
Nashib Kafle worked as Office Manager and Documentation Associate at NHDP office in Nepal. He holds a double degree in MA Health and Society in South Asia from Heidelberg University, Germany as well as Media Studies from Kathmandu University, Nepal. His work experience ranges from journalism and social science research, communications management and visual media to data processing and work coordination.
Nepal Team
Praagya is a student of Art History and Visual Culture at Bard College. At NHDP he is focusing on the documentation of art and architecture from the Rana period in Nepal. His research particularly emphasizes the neoclassical architectural style found in royal and residential palaces, as well as the Indo-Mughal motifs present in Hindu temples. Additionally, he has a keen interest in the illustrated manuscripts of Nepal.
Nepal Team
An architect by profession (B.Arch, IOE), Padma Sundar Maharjan is currently working on heritage conservation. He worked as senior site architect for the reconstruction of four temples destroyed by the 2015 earthquake in Kathmandu Darbār square (UNESCO World Heritage Site) under the Kathmandu Valley Preservation trust (KVPT). Maharjan is setting up the “Traditional Buildings Inventory” (TBI) in Nepal. He also has been a lecturer at the Himalayan college of Engineering, Pātan since 2010. Within NHDP, he contributed to the making of maps and drawings of the monuments.
Nepal Team
Rabi Acharya holds an M.A. degree from Nepal Sanskrit University in Sanskrit literature and Buddhist philosophy. He has worked as a manuscript cataloguer in 'Nepal-German Manuscript Cataloguing Project' (NGMCP) from 2003-2014. He also worked in the project 'Documents on the History of Religion and Law of Pre-modern Nepal' at Heidelberg Academy of Sciences and Humanities. Within NHDP he worked as an epigraphist in the Patan team.
Nepal Team
Rishi Govinda Amatya used to work as the the project manager at NHDP’s office in Patan, where he was responsible for the office and fieldwork organisation. He holds an M.A. degree in Heritage Management from the University of Birmingham. He is a writer and researcher of local culture and heritage. Rishi also works towards making myths, history and intangible cultural heritage relevant and accessible for young adults in Nepal. He has produced two self-guided heritage maps for children in partnership with the Kathmandu Valley Preservation Trust and Patan Museum and is now working on a heritage map for Kathmandu Durbar Square.
Heidelberg Team
Radha Malkar holds an MA degree in Transcultural Studies (2020) from Heidelberg University, and another one in Ancient History (2017) from Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi.
She has previously worked with the Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage (INTACH), Pune Chapter.
Within the NDHP she overviews and monitors all administrative tasks, the monthly reports, and takes care of the financial matters. She is the connecting link between the Nepal and Heidelberg teams, the Saraf Foundation, the administration of Heidelberg University, and the Heidelberg Academy of Science and Humanities.
Nepal Team
Rajendra Shakya completed his M.A. in Newar studies with honors from the Tribhuvan University (TU). He has translated and edited many legal documents of the late 19th century mostly from Tsum and Kutang in Upper Gorkha region for Documents on the History of Religion and Law of Premodern Nepal. Rajendra was a craftsman before he started working as a journalist in 2003 and was affiliated to various electronic media till the end of 2014. He spent a longer part of his career in the radio, producing programs on Newar history, culture, art and architecture, along with current affairs for Ujyaalo 90 Network. For NHDP, he translates and interprets texts and inscriptions.
Heidelberg team
After studying Classical Indology and Linguistics at Nepal Sanskrit University and Tribhuvan University, Ramhari Timalsina received his doctoral degree in Classical Indology from Göttingen University. Since April 2018, he has been working as a research fellow at the research unit ‘Documents on the History of Religion and Law of Premodern Nepal’ of the Heidelberg Academy of Sciences and Humanities. His research within NHDP contributed to the study of inscriptions, historical documents and other textual sources related to the monuments.
Intern
Sabrina Dangol is a visual storyteller based in Kathmandu, working as a freelancer, exploring write-ups, poetry, and multimedia storytelling. She has worked with different NGOs to produce photo stories/essays of the earthquake survivors, civil war survivors, and child-soldiers. Her work on the stories of girl trafficking survivors was exhibited in the Kathmandu Triennale, 2016. In 2019, Sabrina received a scholarship to attend an international photography workshop in China. and was selected for the Angkor photography workshop and festival in Siem Reap, Cambodia. As an intern with NHDP, she supported the visual documentation of monuments.
Nepal Team
Shekhar Dongol, an architect by profession (B. Arch, IOE) has been involved with John Sanday Associates since 2006. He worked as an assistant field director for the heritage conservation and restoration of various monasteries in Upper Mustang. Within NHDP, he created architectural drawings of monuments.
Nepal Team
Sanjina Shakya from Chyasal, Lalitpur is our Intern at NHDP, Nepal. Currently pursuing her Bachelors Degree in Computer Application as a First-year student, Sanjina has been with the NHDP team since November of 2022 and works across various platforms ensuring that the digitization and cataloguing of data goes as planned.
Sanjina additionally also works on photo categorization and archiving. Having grown up in the historic streets of Lalitpur, the young lady is keen on preserving her heritage and roots and is our youngest enthusiastic colleague in the Team!
Nepal Team
An architect by profession (B.Arch, IOE), Sabina Tandukar is associated with Rich Architectures Co. where she primarily works in heritage documentation and preservation. She was involved in the restoration and reconstruction of four temples in Kathmandu Darbār square (UNESCO World Heritage Site) under Kathmandu Valley Preservation trust (KVPT). She also worked as an archivist at Nepal Architectural Archive, supported by Saraf Foundation for Himalayan Traditions. Within NHDP, she contributed to the making of maps and drawings of the monuments.
Directorate and coordination
Tanja Haufer holds a MA degree in Japanese Studies from the Eberhard Karls University Tuebingen. She is working as an administrative assistant at the Heidelberg Centre for Transcultural Studies coordinating the student exchange programs since 2021.
Within the NDHP she overviews and monitors all administrative tasks, the monthly reports, and takes care of the financial matters. She is the connecting link between the Nepal and Heidelberg teams, the Saraf Foundation, the administration of Heidelberg University, and the Heidelberg Academy of Science and Humanities.
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